POETIC LICENSE Receives NYC Premiere at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes The Directors Company in association with New Jersey Repertory Company with the New York City premiere of POETIC LICENSE, written by Jack Canfora and directed by Evan Bergman. POETIC LICENSE begins performances on Thursday, February 9 for a limited engagement through Sunday, March 4.  Press opening is Wednesday, February 15 at 7:15 PM.  The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

John Grier has a charmed career--this professor of literature at a renowned university is about to be named Poet Laureate. He owes much of his success to his wife, Diane, who has been aggressively shepherding his pursuits.  But when their daughter and her new boyfriend return home for the weekend, hidden secrets are revealed that threaten to destroy the professor's career. Has this esteemed poet plagiarized his life's work? POETIC LICENSE is a biting drama that explores the fall out from the cut-throat, "publish or perish" world of academia.

The cast for POETIC LICENSE will be announced in the coming weeks.

The design team includes Jessica Parks (set design); Jill Nagle (lighting design); Patricia E. Doherty (costume design); and John Emmett O'Brien (sound design). The production stage manager is Rose Riccardi.

Jack Canfora (playwright). Regional: 2010 National New Play Network winner Jericho (world premiere October, 2011 at New Jersey Repertory Company and The Phoenix Theatre, Indianapolis also in October 2011. Upcoming at the Florida Studio Theatre, April 2012); Place Setting (New Jersey Repertory Theatre; named one of the best plays of 2007 by The Newark Star Ledger); co-adapter with Harris Yulin An Evening with Tennessee Williams, starring Mr. Yulin, Mercedes Ruehl and Eli Wallach (Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY). POETIC LICENSE received Abingdon Theatre's 2011 award for playwriting.

Evan Bergman's (director) directing credits include: the world premiere of Jack Canfora's Jericho; The Glass House with Harris Yulin, which received three IT Award nominations including best actor and best ensemble (The Clurman at Theatre Row); the world premiere of The Tangled Skirt by Steve Braunstein (New Jersey Rep, nominated for 2011 EDGAR Award for Best Mystery/Thriller); New York and Los Angeles premiere productions of The Director starring John Shea; the first African American production of American Buffalo featuring Reg E. Cathey and Paul Butler (W.H.A.T.); Gryzk, (Ensemble Studio Theater Marathon); the world premiere of the musical A Girl Called Dusty (Provincetown Playhouse); the Off Broadway premiere of Bobbi Boland with Gregg Henry; Goodnight Sister by James Lapine and Some Counseling by Jonathan Marc Sherman as well as a workshop of Ten Ex- Lovers (NY Playwrights Lab at the Cherry Lane). His film credits include John Ford Noonan's Dig A Hole, Find A Finger (official selection at the Palm Springs and Newport Beach International Film Festivals) and a documentary for Warner Music Group and Edge recording artist G Tom Mac, which featured Roger Daltry (The Who) and Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind and Fire).